Why I Sold My Company and Didn't Tell Anyone for a Year
In this 2015 acquisition retrospective, @superamit reflects on the journey of bootstrapping and successfully selling their business.
Core Principles for Independent Builders:
Unsolicited buyer inquiries versus running a deliberate auction process require very different negotiation leverage.
Bootstrapping for years without external capital provides extreme freedom, but exits are often triggered by energy depletion as much as financial gain.
Retaining ownership of code and operations creates pride, but transitioning to an acquirer requires letting go of absolute autonomy.
Community Debate Themes:
Hacker News peers debated transaction structures (cash vs earnout), founder tax strategies, and life after liquidating a long-term indie asset.
CATEGORY Startup Exits →
HISTORICAL ERA Cloud & Mobile Era (2014–2019)
COMMUNITY SCORE ★ 363 points
TOTAL DISCUSSIONS 63 comments
Congrats and thanks for sharing Amit.
Glad you have a bucket list and are ticking off items in there. Hope you have the time to get them completed.
You only have one life. Make it count. Tomorrow may never come. Take care of yourself and your family first. Don't keep important things pending if you can help it. Don't leave home in a bad mood or saying things to your SO that you will regret if you don't get the opportunity to remedy.
Also, try and take life insurance when you are young, healthy and are not assailed by chronic ailments. Your family will appreciate the security that you provide after you are gone.
When we are young, we feel invincible and forget the long range picture.
Sorry to sound morbid.
Peace.
Thanks for sharing. My wife is a big photography enthusiast, and I think we may have both applied to work for Photojojo in the past. :) Anyway, I wanted to say that I am incredibly impressed by this. It's not every day that I hear the story of someone setting out to build a sustainable company^; and, from what limited perspective I have, you seem to have succeeded.
Bravo, sir; bravo. I wish you all the best.
^edit: So I'm not misinterpreted here, by "sustainable company" I mean one whose goal is to grow slowly and profitably on its own, not quickly in hopes of an IPO or acquisition. Those companies have their place, and it's a good place. I just like to hear the other stories too.
Amit's probability of death http://tumblr.amitgupta.com/post/85539436331/filed-under-tabs-i-keep-open-in-my-browser He's at about year 3 which looks a LOT better than the earlier years.
Maybe I missed something in this article, but did the employees know? Or did they essentially get their labor sold off to another boss a year ago and were none the wiser? Can such a thing even be done, legally speaking (maybe if the poster were the sole owner)?
Is it literally true that he didn't tell anyone for a year?
Congrats for making it through the valley of death unscathed. When I finish a massive project I descend into depression for months. I can't move. Then, I come out and am ready to give birth to the next great idea.
Frankly, you landed that plane so gracefully that I'm in awe. You're an inspiration to me.